FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[marvinlewinsky]

Appropriate Photo Editing Software

I am looking at two software packages. The first is a freeware program called CombineZP and the other is an affordable photo-editing program called AffinityPhoto for windows. Affinity photo has a nice photo stacking feature and many other photo editing features too.

Have other FMF viewers used these packagers, and if so, what is the verdict?

[Kevin Conroy]

If you don't need stacking I would suggest Irfranview, a freeware.

[rweaver]

I use the latest version of Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020 with some pretty good results. It is a toned down version of Photoshop without all the bells and whistles and you buy the license that is good for ever. No monthly fees like Photoshop and it only costs around $100.00 on Amazon and if you keep a eye out you can get if for even less.

[basti]

Free:

Very powerful but also pretty user unfriendly Gimp.

Quite good is Photopea, the advantage is very similar layout to Photoshop = easy switch if needed.


Paid:

Decent are Zoner Photo Studio or Adobe Photoshop Elements, both cost about $100. For normal photography work ok.

For pros definitely Adobe Photoshop + Lightroom, about $13 per month.

[Niels Brouwer]

Another very important thing to consider when choosing which software to use, besides functionality and cost, is the availability and quality of online documentation and tutorials. All software comes with a certain learning curve, and while some are easier to use than others when you're new to editing photos, they will all require spending some time with tutorials or documentation to get familiar with it and gradually start using it to its full potential.

Most paid software will have fairly decent user manuals, freeware usually less so. But the biggest bonus with software like the range of Adobe products is that there are always expert photographers and editors that have covered every single function in detail, either in blog posts or in video tutorials on Youtube. In my experience, that has been the absolute perfect way to learn how to use any type of software.

[fuss]

You can get a free trial of just about any editing programs including full blown Photoshop. So I would try out a few and see which you like, but my suggestion would be Photoshop and or lightroom.

[Vinoterapia]

In my opinion, the best value for your money is in Affinity Photo. It will cost you only $50 and includes a lot of functionality for that price. The developers provide timely updates that have cost me zero additional money (until now).

Furthermore, there are plenty of tutorials on Youtube, both from the developers and from independent users. You can also buy a book, that serves as a user manual, and includes several examples of how to perform more or less complicated functions in Affinity Photo.

[colin robinson]

Another vote for Affinity Photo from me. Bought it about nine months ago and it does everything I need with regard to image editing/manipulation. I do a little super macro photography and the focus merge feature works well with small stacks. The attached pic shows baryte and fluorite crystals with a FOV of about 5mm. This was a stack of 12 images.

[marvinlewinsky]

Video a Go Go

I am also leaning towards Affinity Photo. I have used Photoshop (3,5,6) in the past, all good but for the price and the great online tutorials Affinity Photo is a real winner. And it has a stacking function that might be useful for close-up photos.

A good photo can make or break a mineral specimen. Whenever I am considering buying a specimen, I now request the vendor to supply a high-resolution video of the specimen in well-lit conditions. I also require front, back and sides of the specimen to be shown. Some of the minerals I have bought online were selected solely on the video supplied. The still shots did not do the specimen justice, and I would not have purchased the specimen based on the still shots alone.

I think videos might be a better option for FMF too. Still shots do not provide enough detail, and detail is what the FMF viewers require. Given the availability of cheap fast computers, inexpensive digital cameras with video capability and inexpensive software packages producing good videos should be a practical option for all levels of collecting, from beginner to advanced. I also think video would be a better option when a collector wants a mineral identified.

So, I am now at a cross-road as far as posting my minerals online. Should I focus on still shots or put the emphasis into making great videos which would also enable one to start up a neat YouTube Channel too.